


A Feline Fiasco

by WindowSil



Series: Kuriari Saves The World! [2]
Category: Dragon Quest IV, Dragon Quest Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26622757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WindowSil/pseuds/WindowSil
Summary: The Zenithian hero rounds up the Chosen for a get-together where he gives away some of his belongings from their adventure. However, one of Alena's choice items proves to be the cause of a slight... change in her and Kiryl.
Relationships: Crifto | Kiryl/Alena
Series: Kuriari Saves The World! [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1933966
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	A Feline Fiasco

Kiryl always saw Alena as a bit of… an animal. She was wild, to say the least. She always preferred things to go her own way. Growing up in a castle as a princess, she was used to it being like that. She never truly had a chance to mature, until she whisked herself away on a grand adventure, travelling the world.

Kiryl, being Alena's retainer, always had to defend her from harm. Instinctively, he would encourage her not to throw herself into harm's way, and constantly asked her to be less reckless and hasty even in regular day-to-day life.

He didn't want her to be injured, or worse, to be killed. Those worries used to plague his mind almost everyday. Now they never did anymore. Kiryl was aware that Alena had become stronger, just as she told herself she would. She didn't need a babysitter anymore. She COULD do what she wanted, and Kiryl wouldn't be there to hold her back—he would be there to support her, not as a babysitter, but as a friend.

These were all things they came to learn after the float-o-copier 'incident'.

That incident was just the day before. A float-o-copier transformed into a copy of Kiryl when Alena wasn't looking, and she failed to discern which was the fake, resulting in the real Kiryl being pummeled by Alena's own fists. Filled with guilt at the realization that she had just hurt her friend, Alena strove to redeem herself. Kiryl, feeling as if he had failed to make himself recognizable, also desired to make amends with his friend.

After a chat, they learned more about each other and their true feelings toward one another. There was something quite special about their relationship that they couldn't quite explain. They weren't romantics, but they were more than friends. It was like they were family, like mother and daughter, or like little sister and older brother.

Now that their relationship was fully understood by both Kiryl and Alena, they could focus on making each other happy.

_A new dawn, a new day! What adventures shall today bring? I hope for positively exhilarating experiences! Six days remain before new Endor tourney. How shall I spend time to train?_

It was a rather calm morning, at least, to start with. Alena was thrilled to be notified by her father that mail had arrived to Zamoksva castle by courier. It was an invitation… from the legendary Zenithian hero, Solo himself! Well, not that that was much of a surprise—they did know the guy pretty well. But what did he want to invite them to…?

Alena stood in the throne room, her anxious father sitting on the throne and the studious messenger standing at the far end. She gripped the letter in her hands and read. “‘I have several items of which I have no place to keep. If you would wish to peruse my belongings and take your fair share, meet me behind Casabranca castle at noon today.’ So Solo is relinquishing belongings to Chosen? How very generous! I would so love opportunity to examine items of his. Why did he not arrange for this sooner, I wonder? Hm, perhaps he was in dire need of rest after life-altering events. But I will be glad to make contact with him again!”

Tsar Stepan sighed in relief. He must have expected some sort of world threat again. Luckily, these were simpler times now. Alena can hold her own in the wilderness. Especially when she has Kiryl at her side. Speaking of which…

Alena burst into Kiryl’s room with excitement and energy. “Kiryl!”

Kiryl, who was still in bed, jumped in surprise, lost his balance, and tumbled off the side and onto the floor.

“Aha, get on your feet, silly! We are going to meet Solo and the other Chosen once more!” She skipped over through the room to help him get up.

The priest uncovered himself from blankets, and staggered to his feet, with the aid of the tsarevna’s outstretched hand. “Y-Yoy, Tsarevna, what a fright you have given me…” he shook his head to whip the tangled mess of his hair out of his face. He looked down at the lady before him. Puzzled, and with cheeks tinted red from his slight embarrassment, he asked, “What is it that is transpiring?”

Alena struck a rather heroic stance as she nodded. “Comrade Hero has given invitation to us for to visit castle of Casabranca where he is sharing items of import from adventure to us Chosen. We must arrive by noon, Kiryl! I hope you are prepared!” She looked pretty ready herself, in all her proper clothes and all. And… well…

Kiryl was still in his pajamas. But after a quick change, he would be ready. “Is there no time for consumption of morning meal?”

“How do you ponder we will make it to Eastern continent if we do not leave immediately? We are practically on opposite side of planet!”

Kiryl realized she was right. But a thought struck him. “Why tread on foot when we can make purchase of chimaera wing to travel instantaneously to castle?”

Alena gasped. It had been such a long time… like a week? Since the last time she flew through the sky thanks to magic. She longed for that feeling again. Good thing Kiryl remembered that those wings can be bought cheaply from virtually any item shop, and provide the exact same sensation as the Zoom spell!

“Excellent idea, Kiryl! Let us fail to travel on empty stomachs. What would you like to be consuming?”

“Oh, please, Tsarevna, I am able to care for myself. What is it that YOU would enjoy?” His instincts as retainer kicked in, as usual.

She thought for a moment, looking blankly around the room. Then a figurative light bulb appeared over her head. “Aha! I believe I had brought here some packed lunches from adventure… they are a bit old now, but I am certain they are still edible!”

Kiryl held back a gag. “Erm… suit yourself? I will prepare something fresh for myself, then.”

They also asked Borya, since he was also technically one of the Chosen who adventured with Solo, if he wanted to tag along. But he seemed uninterested. “I’ll allow you children to obtain the items, I’ve no need for such trivial things in my age. All I need are my books,” he said. So that was that. And it did kind of make Kiryl happy, that it would just be him and Alena alone as they travelled, once again…

It was fairly early in the morning when Alena left to munch her breakfast, but it began to near noon by the time they were actually ready to leave the castle. Kiryl wanted to take some time to put things in order in the chapel, and mend the wounds of a few injured soldiers who had been defending Zamoksva from wild monsters. It felt good to perform his routine duties for once. The staff were slowly getting used to having him back, and boy did they appreciate his help.

Just before noon, the two were outside the castle, in Zalenagrad a couple blocks to the west. There they were able to pick up a few chimaera wings—two for a round trip to Casabranca, and some spares for future adventures.

Kiryl let Alena do the honours. The tiny lady threw the chimaera wing into the air, and thought about what Casabranca looked like. A modest castle, full of friendly people just minding their business, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, a very nondescript place—the perfect place for a meetup. Kiryl could feel himself become lighter, as he was lifted off the ground. Alena seemed to enjoy the experience as well! In a fraction of a second, they shot off the ground at high speeds and flew off to their destination. Alena stretched her arms out and pretended she was a bird, flapping her wings.

* * *

The tsarevna and her retainer landed in the grass just before the entrance to the castle of Casabranca. Alena stood in place with her eyes closed and arms spread out, as if she was still in flight, until Kiryl gently clasped his hand around hers and pulled her along, around the edges of the castle to the backside, where the meeting spot was. She seemed to be in a pretty good mood, daydreaming and all. It was kind of unlike her. No, no, this IS like her. This is how she always loved to act at the start of their adventures. Happy-go-lucky, like a curious cat just wanting to explore everything she can with wonder and amazement. Kiryl watched the way her head moved around as they walked. She was smiling, naturally, something she didn’t often do unless she was thinking about something that made her happy.

There had been an air of tension the past couple of days, when Alena was in an anxious state full of uncertainty. Perhaps she was upset about the separation between her and the other chosen heroes, and didn’t want to become alone. Now they were meeting up again, and she was sure that more meet-ups like this would happen in the future. There was nothing to worry about. Even when she couldn’t hang out with Maya and Meena, Ragnar, Torneko, or Solo, she would always have Kiryl. (Borya was kind of a drag.) But of course, she was going to savour this moment while it lasted.

Everyone else had shown up. The sisters, the soldier, the merchant, and of course, the hero. Alena, jumping with joy, shook hands with everyone, energetically and vigorously. Kiryl followed suit, though kept his handshakes more formal and calm.

They passed the afternoon together as a gang once more, chatting, eating snacks, and playing some games, like Truth or Dare.

Things went well, at first. Alena always chose dares, resulting in her doing strange things like showing off triple backflip gymnastic maneuvers, or trying to eat the random mushrooms they saw growing in the ground where they sat in the castle’s shade. Kiryl, on the other hand, was never really asked much in the first place, which he was grateful for.

That is, until Maya decided to ask Kiryl for a truth or dare. Fearing what she might ask, he nervously said… “Truth.”

“Hmm…” the dancer girl said as she smiled slyly in Kiryl’s direction. She must have had a dare in mind, and now she had to think of a truth question instead. “Have you and Alena ever—”

“I do believe it is getting rather late,” the priest interrupted with a forceful voice to overpower Maya’s. “Shall we proceed to gathering of items?”

“Arey…” Maya sighed, defeated.

Solo agreed with Kiryl that it was time to get things going with the purpose of the meeting. After the hero laid out his wide inventory of items, he allowed every person to pick up two things. He also mentioned that a few certain items he WAS keeping for himself, to explain the absence of things like the Zenithian Armour that Torneko immediately asked if Solo was giving away. (He was disappointed but not surprised to learn Solo was keeping the legendary armour set and weapon.)

Most people took equipment or supportive consumable items (like moonwort bulbs), but Kiryl and Alena opted for more… interesting choices.

“What are you possessing now, Kiryl?” Alena asked her friend.

The priest had already put his items away in his pockets. “I have decided to take remnants of birdsong nectar and feverfew root. Items of such healing power will surely be of use to me, to administer to those in need. What do you have there, Alena?”

“This stick appears premium for me… to smack foes with! Ahahah!” she replied, swinging around the staff in front of her.

It was a sturdy-looking staff, with an oddly shaped tip on top, kind of like a squiggly line. At the very tip was a blue gem embedded in the staff. Kiryl recognized it as the mod rod, the item the party used to transform themselves into monsters temporarily in order to eavesdrop on Psaro’s conference at the Diabolic Hall. It gave him shivers to think about the experience of being a slime. He felt so unfamiliar in that strange body… he hoped he wouldn’t have to undergo such a transformation again in the future. But he sucked in a deep breath and didn’t let that fear get to him. If Alena was just going to use it as a weapon, then good for her. And it seemed like she also had something else to show off.

“There’s also this thing that will make superlative punching bag!” … And it was a bag of kitty litter. Kiryl briefly scanned the label. ‘5kg’ … ‘Clumping litter’ … ‘Contains catnip’ … ‘Grains absorb most odours!’ Well, he doubted she would actually use it for a cat. Once again, Alena is really thinking outside of the box for how she’s going to use this stuff. Yet another thing Kiryl so admired about her. She was always full of wild surprises.

* * *

It was much later in the afternoon—practically evening, when Kiryl finally convinced Alena that it was time to leave. She was reluctant to leave her friends again, but reassured herself that they’d meet up again.

After breaking up from the rest of the Chosen, Kiryl and Alena walked a fair distance just so the wind gusts from the chimaera wing they were going to use wouldn’t disturb anyone. However, after a certain amount of time, Kiryl couldn’t help but notice the faint sounds of meowing coming from somewhere nearby… “Do you hear that poor noise?” he asked his tsarevna.

“Noise? Now that you are mentioning…” Alena stopped and looked around, shielding her eyes from the descending sun with her hand. Kiryl also paused and peered around, with the visor of his hat protecting his eyes. Soon enough, Alena pointed at something. “That tree! It houses a scared little kitty. We must make haste to rescue it!”

The two headed for the tree in question. It was very tall, with a thin and smooth trunk—one that looked impossible to climb unless you had claws to dig into the bark. Kiryl noticed the feline—a grey tabby—stuck in the branches, looking down, too frightened to jump. Poor little baby. “Allow me to test if I can reach,” Kiryl suggested, since he was the taller of the two. But even when he stood on his tippy toes, he could not reach the cat where it sat.

“I have idea!” Alena blurted out suddenly. She dropped her bag of kitty litter and gripped the mod rod she had been carrying like it was a club. “I have stick. I wave stick, and branches will shake. When kitty here is surprised and jumps out, you catch!” They exchanged quick nods, and she went right for it. Kiryl stepped backward to give her space, and focused his eyes on the cat.

However, jumping and swinging wasn’t enough for Alena to reach it. Frustrated, she decided to change plans. She threw the staff toward the branch the cat stood on—to the side so it wouldn’t hit the cat directly. That oughta do it! The staff smacked the branch, sufficiently throwing the cat off balance, to which Kiryl reacted with a swift catch of the feline in his arms.

But before he could relax, a loud KRKKK of glass cracking assaulted his eardrums. Alena was too busy celebrating her success at hitting the branch to catch the mod rod before it fell on the ground between them, tip first. The gem at its tip had obtained a crack, and out of it spilled sparkling magic. “Oops…” Alena bent over to pick the stick up and inspect the damage. As soon as she touched the rod, however, the gem glowed brightly all of the sudden, so bright that Kiryl and Alena were both momentarily blinded, despite shutting their eyes in response.

They both felt a tingling force surge through their bodies, leaving them a bit numb until they began to move their muscles again. It was akin to that kind of feeling you get when you’re half-asleep or just woke up and haven’t moved a muscle, and you can’t feel your limbs until you move them and wake them up again.

After the light faded, Alena opened her eyes to see herself, the mod rod, and Kiryl all still intact. However, the mod rod’s gem was a much duller blue now, and still cracked of course. Also, the cat had disappeared from Kiryl’s arms. His arms were still in the cradling position while he was frozen in place, but the kitty was missing. As soon as he came to his senses, he released the position and frantically looked around (and almost losing his footing as he spun around), even peering back up into the tree, to try to locate the little tabby. But it was nowhere to be found. Poor guy. Kiryl had hoped to take care of it, maybe even adopt it, but it must have jumped out of his arms and scurried off as soon as it was hit with the bright light.

Wait, what bright light? Kiryl’s memories were hazy. Was there even a cat to begin with? He felt a strange wave of dizziness come over him, and felt like he needed to take one big cat nap to feel better. Probably best for him and his tsarevna to go home now. Alena didn’t argue. She pulled out a chimaera wing, and they’d be back at Zamoksva in moments.

* * *

Back at the castle, it was time to eat a dinner meal. Alena, who was served by the chefs at the castle, ate in her own room. It was some sort of pasta. Whatever it was, Alena liked it.

_Ahh, delicious pasta! Today was long day. Many fun happenings occurred. After all that, I was made rather hungry… but this meal is positively filling!_

She finished her plate, but there was still a mess of sauce coating the surface.

_Finished already? Nyet, there is more if I simply lick off the plate…_

She held the plate up to her mouth, stuck out her tongue and licked. Marinara sauce was scooped up into her mouth.

_Mm! …Is my tongue of greater length than usual, or am I just imagining?_

For a moment, Alena felt as if something was off. But she soon shrugged off the thought and continued licking the plate clean.

_How clean this plate now is! I wonder if I can clean myself in the same fashion._

She then began licking her bare arms, then her hands after she took off her gloves, and then using her wet hands to rub her face and behind her ears…

_Now this is amusing!_

* * *

Meanwhile, Kiryl had eaten rather quickly a small snack he made himself. He had now moved onto laundry duty. As usual, before putting anything in the water to wash it, he had to check the pockets to make sure no loose items were being kept in there. Everything so far was empty, until he touched something soft and stringy in a coat pocket. Pulling it out, Kiryl saw that it was a ball of pink yarn.

“What is this doing in this location?” he asked himself as he set the coat down on a chair to take a closer look at the yarn. Habitually, he began to pace around the room, as he inspected the yarn for any dirt… then he suddenly slipped on a wet patch of floor made from a spill. The yarn fell out of his grasp, but he didn’t want it to get wet and soggy. He dove for the yarn, and smacked it in midair, which pushed it out of the way of the puddle, as he faceplanted.

Quickly looking up again from the floor, Kiryl saw before him the yarn rolling this way and that, unrolling itself, and… it was like a switch in him flipped. He abandoned his task of doing the laundry to fulfill his newfound urge… to play.

_The yarn, it beckons me—nyet, it is taunting me! I must capture it and eliminate it, and prove I am superior!_

Kiryl scrambled about the laundry room, sometimes trying to gather up the pink strings of yarn, sometimes tossing the yarn around, or wrapping it around himself, possibly biting the yarn when he thought it hurt him, and occasionally just swatting at the air for no reason. He was in a state of pure bliss, with no one to judge him.

A couple of minutes later, Kiryl found no success in defeating the ball of yarn, so he attempted to cast a Whack spell to destroy it instantly. He charged the spell up…

_Perish, foul being!_

Out of nowhere came a knock on the door—and Kiryl instantly stopped what he was doing, a jolt of fear running down through his body, and the Whack spell dissipated into the air. Must have been another servant delivering a hamper full of clothes. Kiryl snapped out of his craze, scooped up the yarn and pulled himself up to a standing position before the servant entered the room. He felt hot with a mix of embarrassment and guilt. And on top of it all, he was rather confused.

_Did the servant hear me just now? Oh, please, do not report my atrocious behaviours to Tsar… Aga, just why did I have sudden motivation to do battle with inanimate yarn ball? I have duties to complete, and my reputation and dignity to uphold! Maybe… maybe I can save this for later…_

Kiryl pocketed the ball of yarn before resuming his work. Luckily for him, the servant seemed not to have taken notice to his odd actions.

* * *

Later that night, when the sun was setting, light entered Alena’s room through her window at a low angle. It was reflecting off of her mirror, leaving a bright reflection motionless on the wall, which Alena paid no attention to.

_Sunset’s golden rays sure are a sight to behold. But after such long day, these rays of light are warming my room too much. I shall open window and relax._

Alena swung her window open and took in a breath of fresh, cool evening air. In came a gentle breeze, as well.

However, although the breeze was gentle, it was enough to slowly move the mirror on its axle. It was one of those mirrors that can tilt up and down, and that’s just what it did now. When Alena sat back down on her bed, in the corner of her eye she saw movement. The reflection was moving.

_What is this moving creature inside my room? Monsters are not allowed inside castle! I shall reduce you to one-thousand fragments!_

Alena gathered herself on her bed, steadily… then pounced forward and onto the wall. Her hands attempted to grasp the reflection as if it was tangible. But instead, with a woosh of air passing through the room, the reflection escaped her grip and moved upward. Alena made a noise in her anger that almost sounded like a hiss, and continued to pursue the reflection.

Eventually the reflection got away completely after sundown. Exhausted and spent, Alena retired to bed for the night.

_You may have fled this time, but on next occasion, I will capture you!_

* * *

_*insert day-passing jingle here*_

The next morning, Kiryl woke up very early—before sunrise. He had the sudden need to use the facilities, and couldn’t help it. And by the time he got out of bed, he wasn’t sleepy anymore, so he decided he would just stay up.

_Castle appears different than I recall. Brighter, perhaps? Hm._

When he reached the bathroom, which always had a lamp burning inside it, he noticed the strangest thing when he looked down and was about to pull his pants down. The backs of his hands… were coated in a thin layer of hair. Blue hair, just like the hair on his head. He tried pulling it off, just to make sure it was indeed attached to him, and yes, it was.

_Aga… first the yarn, now this? What malady have I been afflicted with? Had some vile fiend infected me with curse? Am I to transform into monster? Please, Goddess, tell me it is not so. Spare me from this. Oh, please, this must just be some late effect of puberty. It must._

After using the facilities and washing up, Kiryl used a razor to carefully shave off the blue hair from the backs of his hands. He let the blue hairs fall into the trash bin, and hoped that was the end of that. He decided to put his usual day clothes on—his white shirt and pants, green coat, orange scarf, black gloves—but not his hat, as he didn’t feel like having that weight on his head at the moment.

In order to relieve himself of his worries, Kiryl visited the castle’s chapel, set up some candles, knelt before the altar and prayed. Prayed with all his heart that he wouldn’t turn into some hairy beast. After that, he felt better. Then he realized he was hungry.

He quickly located where some fruits were stored in the castle’s kitchen. While Kiryl was technically a servant, he was of a high enough ranking to do pretty much whatever he wanted in the castle. That included taking food for himself, rather than being served. One apple would be enough to sate his hunger for now.

But when he bit into it, it was difficult to rip a chunk of the fruit’s flesh out. Taking his jaws back out, he noticed the bite marks on the apple weren’t of a normal human’s. Most notably, the two holes where his canines were, were much deeper holes than they should have been. Kiryl began to sweat in anxiety, worried about what this meant. With his tongue inside his mouth, he felt around his teeth, noticing just how long his canines had suddenly become. They were truly like an animal’s fangs now.

_No, no, no! Why must this to continue? Please inform me that I am in a dream…_

Before he could continue that thought, his ears picked up a strange noise coming from upstairs. From a distance, he made out what he thought were pained wails and cries. Filling with concern, Kiryl followed the noise to investigate. He could worry about his strange animal features later—it sounded like someone was in trouble.

The noises lead him all the way to Alena’s room, where they quieted down as he approached. Kiryl could hear a sandy, gravelly sound, a crunchy, plastic bag sound, and some sort of… purring?

_Do I dare peek into her chambers?_

He pondered.

_We are friends, correct? I am sure she would not mind if I…_

Kiryl gently opened the door a crack and looked inside. There was Alena, sprawled out on the floor, lying on top of the opened bag of kitty litter. Kiryl couldn’t help but smile. He concluded that the pained wail sounds were probably actually gleeful cheers that were distorted from a distance.

_Ah, perhaps she changed her mind about use of litter. Previously, she did attempt to imitate bird while in flight. Perhaps now she attempts to imitate cat? It is adorable. I shall to leave her to her enjoyment._

Just as he closed the door, Alena screeched with a big, happy “NYAA!” The sound echoed in Kiryl’s ears, as if his ears were extremely sensitive all of the sudden. His ears continued to hurt with a sharp ringing that sung from inside his own head. In pain, Kiryl covered his ears with his hands. But he suddenly found that he had trouble bending his fingers in his gloves. In fact, his gloves felt… tight.

_My hands! Do not tell me…_

Kiryl struggled to pull of his gloves, but when he did, he realized why. Just as he suspected, the hair—or rather, FUR, grew back on his hands, and across the back of each of his fingers. It was a thicker, longer coat now, and it made his fingers too thick to fit properly in his gloves. In addition, he wouldn’t be able to shave it off so easily this time, seeing just how thick it was.

And it didn’t stop there. Kiryl, being so flustered and confused, sat himself down on the floor right outside Alena’s room, to try to think. Resting his jaw in his palm, he felt a painful tingle where his fingers touched his cheek. Taking his hand away to touch more gently this time, it seemed he had grown a few short strands of especially touch-sensitive hairs on his cheeks…

_These… these are whiskers!_

It all slowly started to make sense now.

_First I was amusing myself with yarn, then I could see perfectly in dim light, then hair grew from my hands, then my teeth lengthened, then my ears became stronger, and now I bear whiskers on my cheeks. I am transforming into cat. But why? My memory of previous day is still foggy. Perhaps Alena recalls… Alena! Right now, she plays in litter. The very litter I noticed was laced with catnip. She must also be experiencing transformation. We must to aid each other and find a way to reverse this strange spell cast upon us._

Alena was back to purring.

_But I wish not to bother her in such a serene state… and I too am getting fatigued again… Aga, maybe this is not so horrible. If Alena is enjoying herself, why should I take that from her? But what will other servants think of our strange forms? I cannot imagine what might occur if anyone suspects we are inhuman—if we are monsters. How can I protect her from harm yet allow her enjoyment?_

Kiryl couldn’t come up with an answer.

_I have no other option than to rest for now and hope for idea to come to me soon. Or perhaps Alena will listen if I express my concerns to her? Possibly… but for now, I have headache, and I require resting._

And with that, he got up off the floor and headed back to his room. Surprisingly, no one else in the castle had woken up from the loud noises. Oh, right, they were only loud for Kiryl since his ears were so sensitive.

…

Kiryl wasn’t the only one with sensitive ears, though. Alena heard Kiryl’s footsteps as he travelled back down the hallway. She detached herself from the pile of litter and dusted herself off.

_Where is Kiryl headed? Why did he not come to join me? We should have fun TOGETHER! Hm… I have idea!_

* * *

Kiryl carefully stepped down the stairs once more… but much to his surprise, he found that someone was already inside his room…!

“Kiryl!” shouted Alena, who was sitting in the middle of the bed.

“GAH!” The priest jumped, so high that his hat would have hit the ceiling if he had it on. But this time, he didn’t fall over or anything. He managed to keep his balance. Must have been the feline instincts. “...Alena? How did you arrive here so hastily?! Were you not up in your chambers mere moments ago?”

“I was! Then I jumped from window down to your window and climbed inside!”

“But… why?”

“I wish to request something from you.”

“Erm. Alright, what is it, Tsarevna?”

“Will you snuggle with me?” The tsarevna put on her very best kitty pout. In the dim light, her pupils were heavily dilated, staring directly at him, longingly. Kiryl’s heart felt like it was going to explode from cuteness. He couldn’t help but feel obligated to say yes to whatever it was she just asked.

“Yes, Tsarevna. I will… snuggle with you.” He then realized what he had just agreed to. They were going to be in a bed together, very close, possibly hugging… oh, it was Kiryl’s dream. “I never imagined you would ask.”

He had to force himself not to cry tears of joy. He didn’t even bother questioning it. He didn’t even care to ask why she wasn’t mentioning anything about them turning into cats. Was she even aware of what was happening? Maybe not—it’s not like Kiryl’s cat features were all-too-noticeable right now, and Kiryl couldn’t see any cat-like features on her either.

Anyways. What mattered to Kiryl was that Alena wanted snuggles. He was going to deliver.

_I will have to inquire of what happened yesterday… later… let us be to rest together for time being._

Both were fully clothed, except both lacking hats. Alena curled up into a ball on the bed, and Kiryl slid up behind her so they were touching. He let the little lady shuffle towards him and the warmth of his body. It was then that Alena started purring again. So filled with joy, Kiryl joined in naturally. His purring was of a much deeper tone than hers. Together, they made a beautiful harmony.

* * *

They slept in until the late afternoon. Kiryl woke up to nothing in particular. He felt very warm and comfortable, and didn’t want to move. But he wanted to see how Alena was doing. Slowly opening his eyes, he gazed upon the tiny woman before him. Though he only saw the back of her head from where he lay, he could easily notice the large cat ears she now had. He wondered if he too had cat ears by now? Maybe it was worth checking in the mirror.

Before, he would have been shocked and afraid about these developments, but seeing Alena be totally chill with it gave him courage. He didn’t want to ruin her fun, after all. Plus, this was much more easy to get used to than suddenly turning into a slime. Kiryl could handle this.

All of the sudden, Alena rolled over away from Kiryl, and he could see her face. She had a cute little pink cat nose, and prominent white whiskers jutting out from her cheeks, a few curling upward, and the rest curling down.

Kiryl felt his heart melting…

Since she was farther away, he could gaze upon more of her body. Her arms and legs were missing clothing—instead, they were completely covered in orange fur that matched her hair colour. There also seemed to be a pattern of faint stripes on them, like a ginger cat. Her hands and feet were now paws, with pink toe beans, and little grey claws on each fingertip. Her wrists and ankles also had extra tufts of fluffy fur that reminded Kiryl of the shape of the loose ends of her gloves and boots. Last but not least, Kiryl could notice she had a tail coming out from under her skirt, which was also striped and ended in a curl, like the curls of her hair. He couldn’t resist saying “Aww…” softly.

Alena happened to notice the sound and awoke, with a huge yawn. All her sharp teeth were visible, along with her thin and long tongue. Then she opened her eyes—eyes with subtly slitted pupils.

The tsarevna looked at her retainer with the most surprised expression Kiryl had ever seen from her. Her eyes dilated, and sparkled with wonder. “You’re a kitty…!” She reached forward with a paw toward him, before promptly retracting it with a gasp. “I’M a kitty!” She examined her paw, amazed.

Kiryl chuckled, happy to see Alena in such a joyful state. She excitedly looked over each part of her body and saw how it changed, from head to toe. She wiggled her fingers and toes one by one, testing how they felt. She touched around her own face, and felt her ears—then practised moving her ears into different positions. Finally, she jumped out of bed and tried walking around.

The priest decided it was time he examined his new changes as well. He started with his hands—which were now paws much like Alena’s, though he had dark grey toe beans instead of pink. Next, his legs. He didn’t realize it when he looked at Alena, but seeing his own legs now, he could tell that his thigh and lower leg were both slightly shorter than they used to be, but to make up for it, his feet were now longer—about the same length as the other parts of his legs. If he stood on the front end of his foot, where the padding of his paw was, he’d be just as tall as usual.

So he gave it a try. Carefully moving out of the bed, trying not to catch his claws on the fabric, Kiryl stood up. He took a few steps, doing his best to adjust to the new shape of his legs. He also felt the slight touch of something long and soft hanging between his legs—his tail! It drooped down almost to the floor, unlike Alena’s. Must have been because it was both longer and not curled. Kiryl was suddenly aware of the muscles he didn’t know he had that extended from the lower end of his spine. He flicked his tail back and forth, shaking his coat with it. It felt so natural and intuitive. Kiryl was starting to realize why Alena would enjoy something like this so much.

“Kiryl! You must gaze at yourself in mirror. Come!” Alena encouraged, reaching out a paw to grab one of Kiryl’s.

“Y-Yes, Tsarevna!”

Kiryl was expecting them to run up the stairs back to her room, but instead, Alena just threw Kiryl out the window that she had somehow opened when he wasn’t paying attention!!!

Kiryl managed to land on his feet—on all fours, outside. Alena leapt through the window after him, landed on his back, then used him like a springboard to soar upward! Alena attached to the wall a good distance up, and was just a few paces away from her own bedroom window. She had her claws digging into the creases between the stone bricks.

After catching his breath, Kiryl said, “Yoy! Why did you—” he turned around to see Alena climbing back into her room. “Ah.”

_If we wish to avoid sight of staff, this is best option. Though I suppose Alena simply wished to climb wall with feline claws… and to get to room faster than by stairs._

He chuckled.

_Well, it is time for my attempt to ascend wall._

Kiryl gazed down at the palms of his paws again. He messed around with his finger muscles, seeing how his claws extended and retracted.

_I feel akin to some spider-themed superhero character…_

The priest attempted to recreate Alena’s climbing technique. His claws were surprisingly sturdy, but he couldn’t find the upper body strength to pull his weight upward. Every attempt he made resulted in him skidding back down, creating an ear-piercing noise from his claws scratching the stone. He gave up quickly, desiring a rest for his ears that had to endure that painful screech.

Alena was leaning out the window from inside her room, concerned. “Need a paw, Kiryl?” She held out her paw as low as she could. “I can pull you in if you leap to substantial height!”

Kiryl glanced at his legs. He fancied he could do it. He did spend a lot of time running to keep up with Alena wherever she went, so his legs were in great shape. He crouched down, preparing to pounce…

And in one instant, with all the energy and courage he had, Kiryl stretched his legs out, propelling himself upward, all the way up toward Alena! With one flailing arm aimed up, Alena caught him and reeled him inside to her chambers.

But when Kiryl made it inside the room, he stooped so low to the floor, at such an awkward angle, that items were able to fall out of his pockets. He was only trying to obtain his balance and breath once more, but out came the pink yarn ball and apple from his pockets, rolling around the floor.

_Oh no._

He couldn’t resist. Alena couldn’t either.

“Nya~!” Alena dove for the yarn, but her paws couldn’t grab it—only push it away! She stole across the floor, just like a cat, paws swiftly placed one after the other, as if she was used to moving with all four of her limbs. But before she could reach the ball again, Kiryl swooped in and threw his body over top of the yarn ball!

“Nyet, it is my yarn!” He rolled over, revealing how he now tightly hugged the yarn with his arms. Perhaps part of him still wished to preserve the yarn’s quality and return it to its rightful owner, as per his duties.

“Nya, it is mine!” Alena pawed at his arms, trying to pull loose strands of yarn out. She didn’t seem to care about Kiryl’s plans.

“Nyet!” Kiryl rolled over in the other direction, taking the yarn with him.

“Nya!” Alena protested.

“Nyet!!”

“NYA!!!”

The ginger kitty attacked the fluffy blue tail left exposed and vulnerable. She grappled with it as it flung wildly. Kiryl yelped when she momentarily bit into his tail, and released his grip on the yarn.

Alena tried to reclaim the tempting pink stringy ball, but Kiryl would do everything he could to keep it out of her reach—he managed to grab the ball once more and desperately threw it across the room!

The kitty princess' eyes followed the ball as it flew in the air, and she began to chase after it once more. It wasn’t exactly what Kiryl had hoped for, but at least he had a reprieve from her attacks. He would just have to mend the yarn later with his magic. The kitty priest attempted to stand up, but his foot was met with an obstacle—an apple.

Suddenly, Kiryl came to realise how hungry he was, and sought to finish the snack he had started early that morning. With small bites, he could eat down the apple at a decent pace. While he did so, Alena found herself on her bed, strangling herself with yarn until she untangled herself and threw the yarn away, satisfied. She decided to take a moment to stretch her legs… and in doing so, she pushed half of the bed's blankets off the edge and onto Kiryl's back.

Kiryl dropped his apple core and retaliated with fury and vigor, unleashing an attack on the first thing he spotted on top of the bed once he threw off the blankets. He ended up sinking his teeth into Alena's pillow and tearing it open, letting the feather stuffing from inside spew out.

Giving him some space, Alena leapt off the bed and landed on something crunchy. There was still a pile of kitty litter on the floor of the room. She laid down and rolled back and forth in it, inhaling that sweet, captivating smell of catnip…

"Kiryl, come here…"

The blue kitty responded by spitting out the cloth and feathers from his mouth, and looking over to where she lay. He decided to join her, calmly, understanding that their playtime was over and it was time to relax. He plopped down onto the floor beside her and sighed with a smile.

After a moment, both could feel the soft sensation of vibrations in their bodies as they breathed; purring.

* * *

“What do you mean, purring and meowing, and other strange noises coming from her chambers? Did my daughter return with feline companions to castle without consent?” said Tsar Stepan. “I have not seen her all day… pray, send her to me.”

The servant speaking to the tsar nodded and left, headed upstairs.

* * *

Alena’s chambers were a mess. There was one long string of pink yarn strewn every which way, hanging about at different elevations as it made many laps of the room; the ball from which the string actually came was located on Alena's bed. There was a small patch of wet juice stains surrounding an apple core on the floor. The blankets on the bed were half fallen off and crazily distorted and crumpled. The pillow had one major gash in it, resulting in the white feathers from inside spilling out. The kitty litter seemed to have exploded and grains were scattered all over the floor. Alena and Kiryl were lying down in the middle of the room, on top of the litter, stretching, as if the mess meant nothing to them. “That was very much so enjoyable!” Alena commented. “But why did we locate ourselves here, again?”

“Huh… did you not wish for us to view our faces in mirror?” Kiryl replied, after a moment of thought.

“Ah, yes!” Alena stood up, shook grains of litter off herself, and headed over to the mirror. She sucked in a huge, long gasp of joy when she gazed into the mirror. “Aaaaaah! These feline features of mine are even more cute than I imagined!” She booped her own little nose, giggled, then tilted her head to the left and right to watch the way her ears rose and fell due to gravity.

Finally, Kiryl had the chance to see his face in the mirror as well. Standing over her, there was enough room on the mirror’s surface for him to see his face just above the top of Alena’s head. Here, he could see that he did indeed bear the same cat features as Alena, with some differences: his nose was black instead of pink, his whiskers all drooped down rather than some sticking upward, and his ears also sagged down a bit, likely due to the weight of some of his hair falling on top of them. Kiryl was also able to tell more clearly that both him and Alena had pupils shaped like a cat’s—oval-like, with points on the top and bottom. He smiled, noticing that his mouth naturally took the shape of an elongated w or sideways 3. (Like a “:3” or “owo” face.) It seemed there was an indentation in the middle of his upper lip, and Alena had it, too, as she smiled with her sharp teeth bared.

In the middle of their self-admiration, the two kitties heard some footsteps coming from down the hall outside Alena’s room. Not a moment later, there was knocking at Alena’s door.

“Tsarevna?” a young, worried voice said, muffled behind the wall. “Tsar requests your presence.”

That was the last thing the tsarevna wanted to hear right now. Alena stomped her foot and crossed her arms in a bout of anger, while Kiryl distanced from her, calmly letting her release her emotions.

_Why does Father always feel desire to involve himself in my affairs? I do not wish to speak to him at moment, I wish for adventure!_

“Tsarevna?” repeated the voice.

Alena took a moment to think in her frustrated pose, before she relaxed, with her mind made up. “Kiryl, let us venture forth,” the little kitty woman whispered, with a bit of a sly smirk, as she reached into her closet. She grabbed the staff she had used the other day as a weapon—the mod rod, and then tossed it to Kiryl, who caught it clumsily. “Follow me!”

As Kiryl attached the staff to his scabbard on his back without question, he heard the fwoosh of the lady flying out the window, out of the castle for the millionth time. (She really liked jumping out of her room, ever since she first broke the wall down.)

_I do not comprehend what Alena has in mind for us, but I do not wish to have our transformations discovered by castle staff, lest rumours and fear be spread… I must pursue her with diligence and fortitude._

Kiryl followed suit, swiftly hopping out onto the grass below, landing on all fours once again, safe and sound.

_Hm, I do believe I am getting used to this._

Alena was scampering off, running on all fours just like a cat. Kiryl considered copying her, but after realizing his long coat would most likely trip up his footing, he decided against it, and opted for a bipedal sprint instead. In less than a minute, the two kitties were out of sight.

* * *

“There was no response, sire.”

“I thought she promised to use front door if she were to exit castle,” the tsar went on, confused by the servant’s words. “I will visit her chambers myself. I must know what is going on with her and these supposed felines.” And with that, Tsar Stepan removed himself from his throne, sent the servant back to his duties, and headed for his daughter’s room.

Upon arrival, he found one incredibly messed up room. It looked like a pride of Great Sabrecats had torn the place apart. How did that yarn even get there? Well, that certainly wasn’t as important as the rest of the room. With the destroyed pillow, the closet left open, and the mess of kitty litter on the floor… it was truly as if beasts had ransacked the place. This was further proven to the tsar when he noticed residual markings of dirt on the floor—paw prints. Massive paw prints. One set slightly smaller than the other. But both looked large enough to have come from a monster, most likely a Great Sabrecat.

“Yesterday I did view my daughter bringing kitty litter to her room. The substance must have somehow attracted feline creatures. I wish not to think it, but I fear she has been abducted. I must to dispatch rescue party instantaneously!”

* * *

“Do you believe we will complete transformation into small cats?” Kiryl asked his tsarevna as they sat with each other in a tree.

“Oh, I do not hope so. I trained extensively for these muscles, I do not wish to see them shrink to pet size! Though I suppose novelty would be interesting for a few mere moments…”

Kiryl wondered what she was talking about. She didn’t have visibly defined biceps. But then again, she WAS much stronger than she looked. He decided to change the subject before things got too weird. “Well, I have not felt different from since we left one hour ago, so I mind we are safe from that cruelty… Ahem. I have been intending to ask, do you recall what occurred on previous day? After we selected items from Solo?”

“Hmm? Oh… Oh!”

“You are remembering?”

“Yes!” Alena turned her head and looked at the mod rod that Kiryl still carried on his back. “That stick! We were attempting to rescue cat from tree, much like this one, but I required stick to throw at branch. When stick collapsed, it emitted bright light, and afterwards, I observed crack in jewel. Cat also made hasty escape. Then we returned home to Zamoksva.”

“The mod rod… I have theory now! Mod rod is item used to change appearance, nyet? If fall caused damage to rod and created eruption of light, perhaps this was a malfunction of rod. Perhaps this is explanation as to why we have been transforming into felines!”

“Huh. I had completely forgotten stick was in fact mod rod!”

“Alena…” sighed Kiryl with a facepalm.

“Rod must have chosen to make us cats because of cat nearby,” Alena agreed. “I wonder if cat is now partially human,” she added quietly to herself, with a little chuckle.

“Assuming my theory is indeed correct, if we wish to return to human form, we must locate means to repair staff.”

Alena seemed disappointed by that suggestion. She looked down at her lap. “I rather fancy being feline…”

“E-Erm, of course, I mean, only if YOU wish it so, Tsarevna. I will support your every choice.”

“Aga, but what will others think of us? Half-human, half-cat. You and I both comprehend that we would be viewed as monsters, even if we were to attempt explanation of mod rod’s powers. It would not be much fun if I could not freely play in peace. Even my own chambers prove insufficient to my needs. Grrr…”

“What do you propose then, Alena?”

She looked ahead, out at the world around her. “We do not have single clue yet to help restore staff, correct? Then we will simply have to adventure and search world to find clue! If I enjoy myself enough, perhaps I will feel as if this experience was not wasted.” She gave a smile to Kiryl to reassure him that she was trying her best to compromise in their given situation. If Alena gets her fun, then she’ll be happy turning back to normal. For Kiryl, he just has to ensure that Alena enjoys herself, and then he’ll have the relief of being back to normal as well. It sounded good to him, so he didn’t argue. Off they went!

* * *

Not long after setting off, the two ran into their oh-so-favourite foes… a pair of appearance-thieving float-o-copiers!

“Float-o-copiers once more? You fiends will regret showing your flickering faces to Tsarevna!” Alena pulled the mod rod off of Kiryl’s back and readied herself for a fight.

“Tsarevna, please to refrain from utilising mod rod as weapon! Your fists will suffice for now. We cannot allow rod to become more damaged!”

“Aww…” whined Alena, as she returned the staff to her retainer. Then, after realizing something, she smirked devilishly. “Hmm, but why utilise fists when I now possess superlative feline claws?” She bared her palms and extended her claws to their maximum length. Each claw looked to be at least an inch long; dangerously sharp and with a slight curve to ensure they dug into flesh. Boy, would those scratches hurt, even against a ghost!

“Wait, wait! Don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me!” cried the first float-o-copier.

“Please, we’ll do anything! Anything!” the other added.

_Why do they not merely flee while they have opportunity?_

While Alena looked at the flaming ghosts with puzzlement, Kiryl took the chance to speak up. “You creatures know of Morph spell, correct?”

The two float-o-copiers exchanged glances, unsure of where this was going, then turned back to the priest and nodded.

“As you can witness, the two of us are not entirely human at current moment… we believe issue occurred with our mod rod—our staff of transmutation—and now it appears dysfunctional. Since you folks have wisdom on transformational magic, could you dispense us any potential advices to aid us in recovering our forms?”

One of the ghosts came a little closer, curious to see the mod rod Kiryl carried. It stopped a few paces away. “Oooooohh… the gemstone on the tip is cracked, is cracked! You need to get it replaced!”

“Gems like those are common in transformational equipment, just like the mod rod and armlet of transmutation! They only form in Cascade Cave, Cascade Cave!” said the second.

Kiryl took a moment to turn to Alena and smile. A clue! She smiled back, probably in hope of more enemies to fight at the cave. This was going to work out!!

“I recall Cascade Cave!” Alena remarked happily. “Is that not where you located sword of liquid metal?”

“It is, indeed. Oh how I wish I had brought it with me on this occasion… but we have no time to waste. How shall we travel to Cascade Cave?”

“I still possess chimaera wing in pockets! If I think hard enough, I can take us to entrance of cave!”

“I was of the mind that chimaera wing only functioned for towns and castles…?”

“Silly Kiryl! I am Tsarevna Alena, and I do what I wish!” Alena tossed a chimaera wing into the sky, and before Kiryl knew it, they were zooming through the air, leaving the float-o-copiers behind.

* * *

“We are arrived!” exclaimed Alena, stepping forward just after landing in the grass. Her retainer swiftly followed behind.

The journey through the cave would hopefully not be too treacherous. They just needed to go deep enough to find the gems they needed.

However, Kiryl didn’t seem too keen on pushing forward just yet. “Hold on a moment… hurp,” the priest lurched forward, one paw on his tummy, the other hovering over his mouth. “Fast travelling has suddenly upset my insides. I fear I may…”

Alena turned around to see her retainer as he gagged and spat something out of his mouth, and onto his paw. It was a wet ball of hair. But not Kiryl’s hair, no, it was orange, just like Alena’s.

_Did I—?!_

Alena gasped at the sight. “Kiryl, look! It is ball of my hair you possess! Hm, allow me to attempt to…” she held out her own paw, sucked in her chest, and then coughed. Nothing happened at first. But after a couple of coughs came her own little hairball onto her paw, which was blue in colour. She appeared to be satisfied with the result. “Aha! You see? This is YOUR hair! Do you comprehend what this signifies?!”

“I-I do not recall consuming your precious locks, Tsarevna…!”

“No, silly, silly Kiryl! Hahah! We must have given each other bath during our sleep!”

“You mean to say we, we bathed each other clean without realization?”

“It is what feline companions do, you know! Is nothing to be ashamed of. Haha, in fact, I think it is rather cute!” With a smile, Alena turned back around, discarding her hairball on the ground. “Come, let us to proceed inwards!”

Kiryl blushed, joyous that Alena could enjoy whatever happened between them… but just what DID happen when they were catnapping together? If people can sleep-walk or sleep-talk, then it certainly wasn’t out of the question that they could have sleep-licked…? It sounded like such a foreign concept to him, but at the same time, for cats, it was natural. It was part of their instincts.

… Whelp, if he took too long standing around, Alena would be out of sight, so Kiryl shook his paw to rid it of the messy hairball, and made haste to follow his tsarevna.

As they made their way through the dark (but not really dark for their cat eyes) cave, Kiryl noticed the unpleasant smell. He never would have picked it up if it weren’t for his heightened cat senses, but it smelled like something old and dirty. He tried just to imagine being at home in Zamoksva, doing his jobs as a servant as normal, being praised at the end of each day…

He also wished he had shoes on. Somehow his shoes had disappeared without a trace when his feet became cat paws. Must have been part of the magic of the transformation. Wouldn’t want his shoes to just be forced to rip apart while his feet grew into big cat paws, right? They’d probably come back when the mod rod was working again. Anyway, while his paws had strong padding to keep them cushioned as he walked, there wasn’t much to insulate him from the cold, wet floor of the cave, which meant it wasn’t exactly comfortable lurking around there. His and Alena’s feet left behind monstrous cat paw prints on the rocky ground as they walked, and they pushed forward further and further, keeping their eyes peeled for blue gems…

They came across a fork in their pathway. Kiryl, standing on the right of Alena, proposed, “I say we journey together through the right path.”

Alena suggested a different solution. “You are in hurry, yes? Then I have idea. Instead of travel in pair, we divide and conquer. This will minimize time spent before procuring gem! Just yell when you find it, I am certain these caves will very easily convey echoes from one end to the other.”

It was a solid plan, Kiryl couldn’t argue. If this were the past, he would have protested that they should be together for safety. Although he wasn’t entirely certain if HE could handle himself on his own, he knew Alena absolutely could, and since they’d only be apart for a little while if all went well… then it should be fine, and he didn’t want to waste time deliberating with the lady right now.

Kiryl nodded in agreement with the plan, taking his side on the right, while Alena took her side on the left.

* * *

The random, harsh tap of dripping water became more apparent to Kiryl’s feline ears as he walked alone, no longer accompanied by a second pair of footsteps. Dripping from all of the stalactites around the cave, most likely. Kiryl tried his best to tune it out and focus on the task at hand.

Sadly, the right path produced no such gems that Kiryl was in search of. A few vibrant red crystals here and there, reflecting light around the cave, but nothing that closely resembled the gem on the mod rod. Luckily for him, since he travelled alone, he didn’t attract as many monsters as a larger group would. A few drackies here and there, but he gave them a good Whack and sent them to the hereafter. Thank the Goddess his magic still worked! As long as he didn’t run out of MP, he’d make it out alive. What a pity that they had to rush to leave the castle so quickly—if he’d brought a sword or spear, he wouldn’t have to worry about trying Alena’s method of using her claws as weapons. Kiryl began to wonder what Alena was up to…

But before he could get too deep in his thoughts, he noticed a treasure chest lying out in the open.

_Please do not be a cannibox, please just be the blue crystal gem I require…_

He took a peek inside. What a relief—it wasn’t a cannibox! But it didn’t contain what Kiryl was looking for. It had something else, something equally interesting instead. It was some sort of mysterious hourglass-like object; a glass container in the shape of a heart, filled with yellow, sparkling sand. There was a cork sealing it closed.

_This is time-altering sand, is it not? Was this not possessed by hero Solo in past adventure? Did he relocate item here for a particular purpose? To hide it, I mind. But I fear if Alena locates this, she may put it to misuse… I shall keep it in my safe hands in case we ever may require it._

Kiryl pocketed his find.

Now, it seemed that his pathway was at a dead end. He had no other option but to turn back and hope Alena had found the gems they needed in the other path.

* * *

Alena marched, imagining she had a theme song of her own playing in the background while she made her way through the cave. Bioluminescent mushrooms illuminated her path with their dim, green glow, amplified to her by her well-adapted eyes. She happily skipped, feeling refreshed to be completely alone for once, without having to worry about accidentally hitting Kiryl if she got into a fight.

Which is just what she did.

She was really excited, too. At the end of her path, Alena could make out the faint sheen of blue on the ground at the back, but right in front of it dropped slime after slime from the ceiling, until they all came together to merge into one massive king slime! It was like it was protecting the gems, and Alena found that so cool!

The little kitty lady prepared herself for a fight, stretching out her claws, ready to rip that slime to pieces.

The king slime made the first move. It casted Snub.

“Pah, I laugh at your Snub spell! Nothing will protect you from mighty claws of Tsarevna!”

Alena pounced on her target, digging her claws in deep into the slime’s gooey body. She practically scooped portions of the slime out of the king slime, resulting in little slimes reforming themselves and fleeing. She continued to swipe and swat, until the king slime was no more. Full of energy, she rushed forward through the mess of scurrying slimes, and eagerly searched for the gems she had spied.

They were right there, in the dirt! Just needed to be dug out! She was no dog, but Alena was willing to get her claws a bit dirty for this. She went at it with enthusiasm, pulling out gem after gem, even though they only needed one. But hey, maybe not all would fit, so best to take ‘em all, right?

She stuffed her pockets with as many gems as she could fit. Her clothes bulged with their cargo, but didn’t rip.

“Kiryl, I found desirable gemstones!” she hollered in the direction of which she came, before promptly making a sprint in that direction. A few drackies got in her way, but she just leapt into the air to tackle them and pin them to the ground, scratching hard with her claws until they poofed away in a purple-ish mist like monsters typically do.

“Tsarevna, please to cease movement!” said a familiar voice, but in a worried, tense tone. One Alena surely was not expecting.

The tsarevna released the monster she was holding captive and let it go free. “What is commotion?” she asked, confused, as she watched her retainer run up towards her.

“They are searching for you,” Kiryl said through pants after skidding to a stop at Alena’s side.

“Searching for me? Who?”

“A rescue party; I heard their steps and voices coming from near cave entrance. Sent by your father, I presume. I do not know how they located us here—sheer chance, perhaps—but they will be frightened if they see you in this state. Er- y-you said you have gems, correct? We must hasten to fix rod, and perhaps we can return to human forms before they reach us.”

“Yes, yes, I have gems!” Alena turned her pockets inside out, spilling the gems out onto the ground. None cracked since it was just a short fall, but it did give Kiryl a mini heart attack. “Aga, why did Father have to send people searching for me?” Alena continued, slumping down to the floor, into a sitting position, with a look of disappointment on her face. “I thought we were on terms that I am allowed to freely adventure outside! What could have changed his mind…?”

“If I were to make assumption,” Kiryl began as he pulled the mod rod off of his back, “He must have taken gaze at your chambers. They were in quite the mess, nyet?” He examined the tip of the mod rod. With one forceful tug, the cracked gem came clean out. Now he could use it as a reference to judge which of the uncracked gems would fit the rod perfectly. “If I were Tsar, and I saw my daughter’s room in such a state, and she was nowhere to be located, I would be most worried. I would be of concern that monsters assaulted my daughter.”

“Oh no, I mind you are correct, Kiryl… Aghh, I never wished to worry Father! But we were in such hurry. Now he will most certainly inquire as to why my chambers became so un-chamberlike! How will I invent believable reasoning?”

Kiryl finally decided which gem he would try to shove into the tip of the mod rod. He pressed the gem halfway in, then pushed extra hard as it wiggled in the rest of the way slowly. “I will handle that. We first have to make sure we are presentable.” Finally, the gem was in all the way. It started to emit a slight blue shine. Kiryl smiled at his success. “Mod rod appears prepared.”

Alena’s ear perked up at the sound of footsteps in the distance. “Then we must fail to waste more time!” she stage-whispered. Thinking Kiryl would be too slow, she swiped the mod rod straight from his paws and attempted to wave the thing herself to activate its magic.

“Ts-tsarevna, wait! I know more of magic than you do, I believe I should utilise staff!” Kiryl protested, lunging for her and gripping the rod tightly, trying to pull back, but Alena was persistent.

In their tug-of-war, the mod rod’s shine grew brighter and brighter the more it was shaken back and forth, until, finally…

_Poof!_

…

“Nya?” an ginger kitty asked.

“Mrow…” an angry little blue cat shook his head.

They were both fully cats, domestic size. This wouldn’t do. Kiryl tried to grab the mod rod, which had collapsed on the floor, but he no longer had opposable thumbs. Or big enough paws in general. With a hiss in anger, he tossed the mod rod around, with help from an energetic and happy Alena, making the mod rod light up again.

_Poof!_

Slimes? No, that’s not right. Kiryl despised the gooey sensation, and worked hard to immediately get the mod rod working again.

_Poof!_

Bunny girls? Oh Goddess. At least they were human. But they made haste to activate the rod again.

_Poof!_

Drackies? Well, maybe they could fit in, being in a cave, but at the same time, they could easily be hunted by the rescue party. Better try again. But why was it taking so long to get the right forms?! I guess that’s just how the mod rod is.

_Poof!_

Alena and Kiryl found themselves back in their own forms, finally! Oh… but they’re still part cat.

“I give up, at this rate, we will only transform ourselves into even stranger targets for rescue party to aim their weapons at…” Kiryl said, exasperated.

“Rod was supposed to function! I do not enjoy seeing you whimper so in such serious situation…” Alena replied, with a sigh. But not long after, her eyes lit up again as she looked closely at Kiryl’s face. “Your nose! It is back to normal!”

Kiryl touched his nose with one finger of his paw. It WAS a human nose, not a cat nose anymore! And he couldn’t smell that yucky, old smell anymore. “We are returning to true selves? Finally?!”

“Shh! They are coming closer…!” Alena warned with as quiet a gentle hiss she could produce. Seemed she still had keen cat ears for the moment. “Act natural, and perhaps they will not notice feline features of ours in the dim lighting!”

Kiryl and Alena turned to face the direction of the incoming footsteps. As Kiryl assumed his standard, neutral pose, with his hands clasped together behind his back, he could feel fur retreating from the surface of his paws, back into his skin. It was rather strange, but relieving to know he was in fact changing back to normal. Hopefully fast enough. Alena also held her hands together behind her back, knowing it would help hide her fur-covered paws.

First, they noticed a light from down the path. The leading soldier was carrying a torch. Then they heard the increase of footfalls, growing louder and louder. The two opted for a gentle walk in their direction, hoping to be seen as casually adventuring…

“You there!” called the torch-holder, as he approached. “Tsarevna Alena and Chancellor Kiryl! You are safe!”

_Please, do not gaze downwards at my legs…_

Kiryl prayed in his mind, and Alena took his silence as an invitation to speak up. “Ah, soldiers of Zamoksva! What brings you here to this fine… cave?” For once in her life, she sounded a tad bit nervous. Probably because she cared deeply for her Father and truly, truly did not want him to be worried at all about her and her doings.

“Tsarevna… do you appear a slight bit… different, from what I recall?” the soldier asked, leaning in closer to the girl. Alena wasn’t sure how much of her cat features had disappeared. She winced and motioned to Kiryl to attempt to get the attention off of her, since she thought Kiryl was turning normal faster than her.

“Kiryl can explain why we are here, nyet? Kiryl?” She remembered how he said he’d take care of the talking.

“Yes,” Kiryl responded after the shortest bit of noticeable hesitation. “Tsarevna was here in pursuit of Great Sabrecat she wished to test her strength against. Originally it appeared near Zamoksva and ravaged Tsarevna’s own chambers, as well, before she wrestled the beast and chased it out of her room. She wished to make chase and make it pay. I, I do not know why beast would climb up castle wall and enter Tsarevna’s chambers, but perhaps it was mere happenstance. And you comprehend how Tsarevna enjoys doing battle with foes of such might.” He shrugged, before realizing it would reveal his hands wide and open—which hopefully weren’t still paws—he peered over, and—!! He saw his perfectly human, gloved hand replacing his furry paw. He let a sigh escape him.

“A Great Sabrecat? That explains the trail of giant paw prints we have been following…” The soldier looked behind himself at the ground, at the paw prints on the cave’s soft, wet dirt floor, his eyes moving from behind him to in front of him, until he looked directly at Kiryl’s feet.

The priest gulped, his Adam’s apple shifting upwards visibly for that slight moment. He bent over to match the soldier’s gaze, and… shoes. He was wearing his brown, leather shoes.

_Thanks be to Goddess…_

“I suppose rescue party was not entirely in order, then,” one of the other soldiers said quietly.

“Hm. We must apologize,” the leader continued. “We came in worries that you were attacked by monsters and possibly captured, so we pursued the first cave we heard bore feline footprints at its entrance.”

“You must be one truly superlative fighter, Tsarevna!” a third soldier remarked. “How did you do it?”

“Huh? Do what?” Alena asked in uncertainty.

“Wrestle the Sabrecat, Tsarevna,” assumed Kiryl, based on the context.

“Ah, yes! Many Sabrecats have I wrestled in my countless adventures outside of Zamoksva! It was just like the rest; a gruesome fight, but I managed to come out on top, using all my skills at my disposal! It is so exhilarating, fighting such quick yet powerful foes, as they remind me of my own strengths!”

“That does not exactly answer my—”

Kiryl cut the soldier off, to speak with the leader. “SO, you are expecting us to return to castle, nyet? We are ready to make our trip back. You have completed your jobs.”

“I… I suppose we have, then. Men, let us be gone.” The leader ushered his troops back out of the cave, with Kiryl and Alena following behind at a decent pace. Kiryl could feel that his tail had completely disappeared, along with his kitty ears and whiskers, and all the other cat features he could think of returned to human shape… He peered down at Alena for the first time in a few minutes, and was relieved to see she looked just like she did yesterday—completely human.

Alena was a bit let down that she couldn’t enjoy her feline abilities anymore, but at the same time, she was glad her Father could be relieved of all worries relating to her, now.

They used yet another chimaera wing to fast travel back to Zamoksva, and Kiryl decided he’d spend the rest of the night cleaning and mending Alena’s room while she slept in his bed on the first floor, unbeknownst to the other castle staff…

* * *

“Kiryl, I wish to apologize,” Alena said the next morning.

“Why, Alena? You have done nothing wrong.” Kiryl sat with her on his bed—he had just served her breakfast.

“I have had time to reflect, and I cannot help but feel as if stressful events from past two days were my doing. I was the one to throw mod rod up towards tree, only to result in it breaking and transforming us. And, and… I was selfish in wishing to retain feline form afterwards, when I was fully aware that you were not entirely in comfort. I am sorry.”

“No, no, do not be! I am your servant—your retainer, and I will endure whatever I must to ensure YOU are happy. I was glad to see you in such a state of ecstacy; I would be willing to take on any form I must as long as you are enjoying it.”

“Truly? You truly would do that for me?” Alena asked, looking up to him longingly.

“Indeed.” The priest nodded and smiled. “Allow me to locate mod rod once more. I am certain we can freely play with it as much as we like, so long as we do so clandestinely and are careful not to inflict damage upon rod again.”

* * *

All kinds of different shapes they tested out for fun, in the safety of Kiryl’s locked room, staying as quiet as possible. Tsar Stepan simply assumed Alena was off on some adventure again since her chambers were empty, but no. Inside the castle she stayed, with Kiryl, playing with magic.

They became dragons! They became flopping merfolk… they became small, flying fairies! They even turned into sentient plushies! And last but not least, they messed around as half-cats again, play-fighting and napping together. It was the life.

The next day was getting dangerously close to the latest Endor Tourney, and Alena didn’t want to skimp out on her proper training, so she made plans in her mind to set aside the next couple of days to focus just on the tourney.

**Author's Note:**

> There you go! Kitties! I love cats so much! I couldn't help but write a silly episode of this series about this idea.
> 
> You may be wondering, why didn’t they turn into full cats right away? Because I always enjoy a character’s perspective of slowly turning into something. I think it’s hilarious. I also made them stop transforming half-way through because they needed to be able to communicate and stuff lol, and because I think their part-cat forms are adorable!!


End file.
